


Separation

by triste



Category: Hikaru no Go
Genre: Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-22
Updated: 2012-11-22
Packaged: 2017-11-19 06:55:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/570447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/triste/pseuds/triste
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yeongha wonders.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Separation

Title: Separation  
Author: Triste  
Fandom: Hikaru no Go  
Pairing: Yongha/Hikaru  
Rating: NC-17  
Warnings: Lemon, angst  
Status: Complete  
Disclaimer: Not mine

~~

It's awkward and unexpected when Yongha bumps into Shindou after the press conference, but Shindou shows him that same hostile expression Yongha has become accustomed to seeing on his face.

"You'd look a lot more attractive if you didn't scowl so much," Yongha says casually but of course, Shindou has no idea what he's talking about. Suyon isn't around to translate, and even if he were, Yongha doubts Shindou would offer answers to any of his questions.

There aren't many people capable of holding Yongha's interest, but Shindou Hikaru has proven himself to be one of them. He isn't glaring anymore but he still seems suspicious which, given the way Yongha stares down at him thoughtfully, isn't entirely unreasonable. He's switched clothing since the last time Yongha saw him, and is now wearing a pair of blue jeans and a plain white tee shirt. He looks a lot younger without the suit, although there's only a year of difference between them, that and half a moku, as Suyon testily maintains.

Surprisingly, Shindou starts to speak, but the language barrier makes it impossible for Yongha to understand what he's saying. He can tell by the tone of Shindou's voice that he isn't being challenging or aggressive, but since Shindou can't speak Korean and Yongha doesn't know Japanese, the conversation is one-sided and likely pointless. Even so, Yongha starts paying attention when he hears "Shuusaku", and Shindou says the name more than once, and it occurs to Yongha that, for reasons known only to Shindou himself, he might actually be telling Yongha what the Go saint means to him after all.

It's not that Shindou is being taunting or malicious, mostly because he doesn't seem the type but also because of how he occasionally stumbles over his words. He isn't even looking at Yongha anymore. It's like he's talking to himself, that whatever he's babbling about is something that he simply needs to say rather than something that he needs somebody to listen to, and it bothers Yongha slightly. It makes him regret the fact that the only Japanese he knows is "good luck" and "thank you for the game", and now he's starting to understand why Suyon took the time to start learning the language.

The only other word Yongha manages to catch is "Sai", but only because of the frequency in which Shindou repeats it, and although he might not know what it means, he does know that it makes the light in Shindou's eyes dim a little more every time he says it. Again, Yongha can only go by the tone of Shindou's voice which sounds softer than it had been when he first started talking, and when Yongha glances down he notes the fan in Shindou's right hand, recognising it as the one he that held onto so tightly during their game.

Yongha wants to touch that fan, but Shindou would probably hate him even more if he gave into the impulse, so Yongha settles for the next best thing and shuts Shindou up by kissing him. Shindou doesn't punch him, amazingly, although he does glare. Yongha likes Shindou more when he's like this, passionate and furious and focused only on him, so he curls his fingers over Shindou's fist, the one that's clutching his fan, raising it to his lips. He can feel Shindou's pulse fluttering wildly against his tongue as he traces it over the blue-green veins in Shindou's wrist. He has only a second to savour the taste of Shindou's skin before he tears himself out of reach, wide-eyed and shaken. He bolts before Yongha can move any closer but Yongha isn't disappointed.

Suyon expresses mild curiosity when Yongha later borrows his copy of Japanese For Beginners, but he sounds happy enough as he corrects Yongha's pronunciation.

"Have you changed your opinion of Japan?" he asks. "It's not such a weak country after all, is it? Shindou is only one of many strong players, and I'm sure there are more still who have potential."

"Go has nothing to do with this," Yongha replies blithely, and it's the truth. He doesn't need to understand the language of foreigners in order to play a good game with them, but he at least wants to be able to communicate with Shindou on a basic level.

Suyon merely shrugs his shoulders and leaves Yongha to it.

~~

The next time Yongha sees Shindou again is in September, four months after the Hokuto Cup. It's easy enough to get his number from the Tokyo Go Institute; easier still to give him the address of the hotel Yongha is staying at. It's late when Shindou shows up, and Yongha leads him to his room.

"Congratulations on your birthday," he says by manner of greeting, even though it's been a week already since Shindou turned sixteen. Although Yongha has been studying Japanese after a fashion, he still doesn't know much more than the simplest of sentences nor can he speak in a way that isn't formal and stilted, but it's as good an opening for a conversation as he's about to get.

"Thank you," says Shindou, bland and polite, and Yongha indicates the board by the window.

"Would you like to play a game?" he asks, showing that he can indeed be a good host when he has to, but Shindou smirks.

"That's not the real reason you invited me here. Not that I mind playing you, but it's not the reason I came, either."

Yongha is still trying to make sense of that when Shindou leans up and kisses him, and while Yongha isn't complaining, he never thought Shindou would make things this easy for him.

Shindou makes the situation even clearer by pointing to himself, then to Yongha, and then to the bed. Yongha doesn't need to know Japanese to understand that kind of sign language, and although he would like to know why Shindou is doing this, he's also not about to decline his wordless offer.

There's a sense of urgency about Shindou when he's having sex, Yongha soon discovers. He's not clingy by nature, which is good because Yongha can't stand needy people, but there's something very arousing about seeing Shindou in such a desperate and vulnerable state. There's no attachment, no expectations, just mind-numbing pleasure. That's what he assumes Shindou came to him for, but whatever it is he's trying to let go of, he's not doing a very good job of it.

Once again, Yongha wonders about the significance of Shindou's fan. It's difficult not to, given that the handle of it is currently digging painfully between Yongha's shoulder blades as Shindou clutches it in his left fist. His other hand is tangled tightly in Yongha's hair, his knuckles kneading the back of Yongha's skull insistently.

Shindou's lower body is curved snugly in Yongha's lap, thighs flexing and spine arching as he repeatedly lifts himself up and drops back down on Yongha's cock, riding him. Shindou moves more on instinct than experience, not that he probably has much of it, and Yongha finds that oddly endearing. It makes him more considerate than he might have been otherwise, and when Shindou finally jerks against him and comes, Yongha gives him a minute to recover before rolling them over.

It's better this way, with Shindou on his back, his legs splayed, but he's still holding onto that fan for some reason. He only releases it when Yongha is finished with him, laying it gently on the bedside table as he rises stiffly and disappears into the bathroom. Yongha indulges his curiosity and picks it up when he hears the shower start running, but it doesn't bring him any nearer to understanding why Shindou carries it around with him everywhere he goes.

Shindou stays in the bathroom for a long time, longer than he really needs to, but his face is calm when he finally emerges with a towel wrapped around his hips. His hair is still damp and Yongha can smell the hotel soap on him. He assumes Shindou hasn't brought a change of clothing with him so he gestures towards his travel bag and tells him to borrow something of his. Shindou is shorter and slighter than he is, and the shirt he picks out and shrugs into is too big for him, but he buttons it anyway and sits down gingerly on the edge of the bed.

"Was that your first time?" asks Yongha.

"Does it matter if it was?" says Shindou.

"Not really," says Yongha. "It was a very enjoyable experience."

At least for him. He's not so sure about Shindou, but then Yongha has never been insecure. He's not about to say something ridiculous like "was it good for you?" not because he doesn't care, but because Shindou is making it clear that he doesn't want to talk about what happened. Yongha expects him to pull on a pair of pants and leave, but Shindou surprises him by getting under the sheets.

"Sometimes," he says, haltingly, "I feel like it's too quiet inside my head."

Yongha wonders if this is some sort of Japanese cultural joke. "You hear voices?"

"I used to," corrects Shindou, in total seriousness. "Just the one."

Then he turns over and shuts off the light.

~~

Suyon disapproves of Yongha and Shindou's relationship, if it can be called that. He has the same look on his face that he always gets whenever he feels that Yongha is deliberately trying his patience, and his agitated pacing makes Yongha wonder idly when Suyon began turning into his mother.

"You can't do this to him," says Suyon, clearly upset.

"Do what?" asks Yongha, pretending to be innocent.

"You know what I mean!" shouts Suyon. "Stop toying with him! It doesn't matter what you do with other people, but Shindou -"

"Is special?" Yongha smirks. "Of course he is. You idolise him. You even went so far as to learn Japanese for his sake."

"I admire you too," Suyon answers, "but not when you're being like this."

"Ah," Yongha says smoothly. "My 'immature' side. That's what you call it, isn't it?"

"I admire you," Suyon repeats, "but you can be a real jerk. You know that, don't you?"

And Yongha does, but he's not about to take offence over it. Suyon simply speaks the truth, and that's what Yongha likes about him. Suyon is the only person who can tolerate him, and maybe even understands him a little, but it's times like these when Suyon reminds Yongha how naive he can be.

"You're still such a child," says Yongha lazily. "It's not really your place to be commenting on what adults should or shouldn't be doing."

"You talk like an adult but you're not acting like one," Suyon retorts. "Isn't this just another game for you?"

"I suppose it is," agrees Yongha. "Don't misunderstand. Shindou and I use each other, but we both get what we want."

"That may be what you want, but is it what he wants?" Suyon presses stubbornly. "Do you even *know* what he wants? Do you even care about him?"

"Of course I do," says Yongha. "I'm considerate. I'm perfectly capable of satisfying my partners."

"That's not what I meant," says Suyon, impatient, and Yongha grins.

"He'll be visiting again towards the end of the month. Why don't you try asking him for something other than a rematch? He's a great lay, you know."

For a moment it looks like Suyon might actually hit him, but he settles for scowling instead as he says, "If you hurt Shindou, I won't forgive you. Hurt him and you'll only end up hurting yourself."

~~

It's daylight and they're in a different hotel, but Shindou's expression is as far-off as it had been the first time Yongha saw him staring out at nothing in particular. Shindou doesn't even notice when Yongha approaches, but Yongha can see his own image reflected back at him from behind Shindou in the glass pane of the sliding door. Shindou doesn't flinch when Yongha steps closer, although his eyes slide back into focus when Yongha's hands settle on his hips. The tip of his tongue peeks out to moisten his mouth as Yongha untucks his shirt from the waistband of his pants, his hands drifting slowly upwards as he pops the buttons open one by one. Shindou doesn't say anything when Yongha slides the shirt off his shoulders, only closes his eyes when Yongha's fingers trace over his ribs and stomach.

Shindou gasps when those same fingers deftly unbuckle his belt, but again he stays quiet. He's only ever this cooperative when he's about to get fucked, which is why he doesn't stop Yongha before his pants and underwear can join his shirt on the floor. He doesn't even bother to draw the curtains, probably because they're on the top floor and nobody can see them anyway from up here, and Yongha decides if Shindou doesn't care, he won't either. Besides, it's turning him on the way Shindou rests his forehead against the glass and fogs it up with his panting when Yongha starts stroking his cock.

It's awkward when they kiss but they manage somehow, with Shindou twisting an arm around Yongha's shoulders and moaning into his mouth. He whimpers when Yongha's fist stops moving, then does it again when Yongha breaks the kiss and pulls away completely.

"Wait here," Yongha orders, and Shindou makes an irritated noise low in his throat.

Yongha is only gone a few seconds, but when he returns, the sight that greets him makes his breath catch. He's glad they are on the top floor now, because Shindou is touching himself shamelessly, leaning heavily against the sliding door, and Yongha really doesn't want anyone else getting to see this.

"I thought I told you to wait," he says, amused, and Shindou glares at him, but his eyes are lacking their usual intensity, glazed over as they are with lust. They're darker, heavier, almost drugged-looking, but he lets his hand fall back by his side.

It's a shame, Yongha thinks, he'd like to watch Shindou masturbate some more, but then Shindou turns and presses his palms flat against the pane, bending his body at the waist in obvious invitation, and suddenly Yongha can't get over to him fast enough.

~~

Yongha doesn't like being ignored, especially by Shindou, but he might as well not exist by the way Shindou stares out into the night. He gets like this sometimes, dreamy and distant, and Yongha has no idea why. It's like Shindou goes from one extreme to the other, coming to Yongha when he needs him, and acting like he can't stand being near him when he doesn't. It's annoying, and Yongha wishes Shindou would just make up his mind already as to what he actually wants, but his mood swings remain as frustrating and unpredictable as ever, and Yongha dislikes being unable to read Shindou even more than he dislikes being unable to catch his attention and keep it.

"Shindou," he calls, trying and failing to get any kind of response, so he makes another attempt. "Shindou." Again there's no success, but when Yongha leans over Shindou's shoulder and whispers out "Hikaru", very slowly and very softly into his ear, Shindou jerks. It's interesting to watch the emotions playing out over his face, the way shock melts into sorrow and then anger, but Shindou's voice is perfectly calm and steady when he speaks.

"Don't call me that," he says.

"Why not?" Yongha asks.

"Just don't," warns Shindou.

Yongha is intrigued enough to say it anyway, intrigued and more than a little sadistic, because really, it's only a name, so he says it again, and with more confidence. "Hikaru."

"Shut up!" cries Shindou, and now he's getting agitated, but Yongha is enjoying himself too much to stop.

"Hikaru," he says deliberately as Shindou shakes his head and mouths out 'no, no, no', letting out a gasp that sounds suspiciously like a sob when Yongha yanks him up out of the chair he's been sitting in and jerks him close, but his arms are eager as they slide around Yongha's neck and he drinks in Yongha's kisses like a dying man.

It's only later, when Shindou is lying in bed on his side, that Yongha feels a vague sense of guilt. Shindou's shoulders are shaking subtly, and he tenses when Yongha touches them, but at least he isn't crying.

Shindou fits very neatly against Yongha as he curves his front to Shindou's back, and he knows he's going to regret this, but it's the closest to an apology he'll ever come. Yongha doesn't really know how to offer comfort, nor does he particularly want to, but his proximity doesn't seem to be having a negative effect. Shindou isn't shuddering anymore, and he even starts to relax a little, and that's when Yongha tries pulling away, but Shindou stops him by curling his fingers lightly around Yongha's wrist.

"Stay," he says, and Yongha surprises them both when he does.

~~

The next time they sleep together, it's different. It's not like they haven't shared a bed before but they've always respected each other's boundaries. Shindou always takes the left side and Yongha the right. Shindou usually prefers to lie on his side with his back to Yongha, and it's not something that has ever bothered Yongha. Shindou only ever lets him touch him when they're having sex. Any other time and he needs to keep his distance, but not tonight.

Tonight, Shindou has his head on Yongha's pillow so that they're facing each other for once, and he stares at him with those piercing green eyes that are too old and wise for his young face. There's something in them that Yongha can't quite read, that he's not sure if he even wants to read, and it feels more intimate than anything else they've done before just to have Shindou looking at him like this. It makes him feel uncomfortable.

For once it makes Yongha want Shindou to look away from him, and when Shindou places a hesitant hand on his bare hip under the covers, Yongha suddenly remembers why he's never made a commitment to anything other than his go. He also finds himself reminded that Shindou is the only person capable of unsettling him this much, and Yongha doesn't like losing confidence. It's not often someone brings out his spiteful streak, but being forced on the defensive tends to do that to him.

Yongha has an excellent memory. He also knows how to go straight for an opponent's weakness. That's why he meets Shindou's gaze, and he says, very slowly and very evenly, "Who is Sai?"

It gives Yongha a sick sort of satisfaction to see Shindou's eyes widen in shock, but his attack has clearly hit where it hurts most.

"Nobody," Shindou mutters, the bed springs creaking under his weight as he moves to turn his back. "It's none of your business."

A sense of relief washes over Yongha the way it did during the Hokuto Cup, when he thought he'd seen his own defeat by Shindou's hands, but he forces it down firmly. He doesn't care who Sai is or what he means to Shindou. Right now, Yongha can't even bring himself to care all that much about why Shindou is so obsessive about Shuusaku. He only knows that whatever is messing up Shindou is proving to be a danger to him, too, and now Yongha is the one with the desire for distance.

~~

Yongha realises it's time to break things off with Shindou when his game begins to suffer. Sleeping with other people in an attempt to forget about him doesn't help. Nothing much does. It's irritatingly inconvenient that all he can think about is Shindou, and Yongha wants to put a stop to it.

"Let's end this," says Yongha.

"All right," says Shindou.

And then it's over, just like that.

Yongha never expected Shindou to get angry or hysterical, but admits he'd probably be easier to deal with if he did display such emotion. Instead, his expression is resigned, as if he's read ahead already and has been expecting the outcome all along.

This is how it should be, Yongha thinks. He's always made it clear right from the start that he isn't interested in anything other than sex and a good game from Shindou. If Shindou suddenly wants more than Yongha is prepared to give, it's about time he went looking somewhere else. He'll probably go running into the arms of Touya Akira, which suits Yongha just fine, or so he tries to tell himself.

Shindou moves closer so that Yongha can see the sadness and regret in his eyes, reaches up to touch his cheek as he kisses him one last time. It's gentle and much more chaste than any of the kisses they've shared before and Yongha holds very still until Shindou backs away.

"I guess I'll see you later," says Shindou, and Yongha merely nods.

~~

Suyon is furious when he finds out. He spends a good ten minutes stamping the length of Yongha's sitting room and calling him a coward, but Yongha isn't listening. Shindou isn't the only one with regrets. Yongha wishes they'd never gotten involved, then he wouldn't have found himself going too deep, but since he can't change what happened in the past, he can at least move forward and get over it.

It takes a little while longer for Suyon to stop being livid, and when he does the look he gives Yongha is almost pitying.

"Sometimes, I just don't understand you," he says. "I can't believe you messed this up."

"There was nothing *to* mess up," Yongha says blandly. "It's not as if we were in a relationship."

"You're lying to yourself," scowls Suyon. "You're running away because you couldn't cope. You're running away because you're afraid."

Yongha doesn't understand why Suyon is so disappointed, but he really doesn't care anymore about anything. He concentrates on his go instead, but the praise he gets from his teachers and his peers over his rise in rank seem shallower and emptier than ever. Everything feels dull and predictable now, even the adoration he receives from having a status that's almost idol-like, but it makes it easier to pass off his loneliness as boredom.

~~

Nearly a year has gone by when they meet again. At eighteen, this will be Yongha's last chance to participate in the Hokuto Cup. Shindou is there, and Touya is there, but there's a new face on the Japanese team, a short redheaded boy with large glasses. It's become a sort of twisted tradition for the organisers to pair him and Shindou up for the anticipated Korea/Japan clash, with their respective countries baying for blood as if they were gladiators at a coliseum, and Yongha wonders what they'll do for entertainment after he graduates from the junior tournaments.

Yongha is surprised when Shindou beckons him away from the conference room, but he follows anyway. It's probably a bad idea for them to be alone together, but it's still better than having whatever conversation Shindou is about to start in front of the reporters and their cameras.

"It's been a while," says Shindou. "Your Japanese has improved."

"I've been studying with Suyon," Yongha replies.

There's a silence after that. Yongha doesn't want to dwell on the fact that Shindou seems more attractive now than the last time he saw him, but he can't help looking. The fan is where it should be, tucked safely in Shindou's right hand, but the black suit he's wearing is too sombre for Yongha's tastes. He's used to seeing Shindou in brighter colours. Thinking along those lines causes Yongha to remember what Shindou once looked like dressed in his clothes that were much too big for him, and Yongha wants very badly to grab Shindou and kiss him.

"Sai was," Shindou begins, glancing down at his fan and rubbing his thumb over the handle, "Sai was... my mentor. My best friend. My first love. You asked me back then, didn't you? That's my answer, or at least as much of one as I can give."

"And Shuusaku?"

"That, I can't tell you."

"I see. How unfortunate."

Shindou actually smiles then, and it startles Yongha. Shindou has never smiled for him before. It makes him look very beautiful, and Yongha tells him so. Shindou thanks him graciously and then surprises Yongha yet again.

"After the games are over," he says, "would you like to go out for a meal with me?"

There's more behind that simple invitation than dinner. It's the chance for them to start over and do things right, and although Yongha knows he shouldn't accept, he's always been selfish. He always seems to make the wrong decisions when it comes to Shindou, but that doesn't stop him from agreeing.

~~

Three days later, Korea takes the cup. Japan comes in second place, and China in third. They're this year's host country so that makes matters more difficult when Yongha leaves the comfort of the hotel and its interpreters, but Shindou gives him something else to contemplate when he not only picks out a restaurant easily enough, he also converses with the waiter in his native language.

"I learned some from an old Insei friend," explains Shindou. "He speaks Chinese fluently so I got him to teach me some. It's not as easy as I thought it would be, though. The kanji is different from what I'm used to reading. It's tough even with a dictionary."

"I'm insulted," says Yongha, and it's very different for him to be teasing Shindou in good nature rather than in mean spirit. "You visited my country how many times and yet you never attempted to learn the language?"

"I never saw the need," Shindou retorts. "You and Suyon both speak Japanese so professionally."

It's strange, indeed, to be sitting with Shindou and joking with him like this, but it's not unpleasant. Yongha is seeing another side of Shindou as he talks about his new apartment. There's no resentment or reservation, although he should be experiencing plenty of both. There's a sense of mystery and melancholy that still hangs over Shindou like a silk-spun veil, but he isn't desperately unhappy anymore. Before, it was like he was always trying his hardest to forget, and Yongha knows better than anyone how impossible it is to solve problems by ignoring them.

If the way Yongha walks Shindou back to his hotel room is gentlemanly, what happens after is not. Shindou invites him inside and they tumble onto the bed together, sharing kisses that are achingly familiar but subtly different. Shindou is as eager and responsive as Yongha remembers, and as they shed their clothing and shiver at the blissful sensation of skin against skin, he can finally admit that he's missed this, that he's missed *Shindou*. He's missed everything about him, his voice, his scent, the way he moves with Yongha in synchrony as he gasps out his name.

"This doesn't have to be a one-time thing," Shindou says later, when they're both catching their breath. "It could be something more than sex."

"Long-distance relationships aren't known for their successfulness," Yongha says reasonably. "Our careers will always come first."

"I'll take what I can get," says Shindou. "Suyon talked me into starting out fresh. Suyon tells me lots of things. He worries about you a lot. It makes me wonder who's older, you or him."

At last Yongha figures out what's so odd, and it's all because he and Shindou are actually talking to each other. He knows Shindou's body intimately, even after all this time apart, but he knows next to nothing about Shindou himself. He knows when Shindou's birthday is and the fact that he hides more secrets than an army intelligence force, but apart from that...

"Life never turns out the way you want it, does it?" Shindou says. "It's nice to have some excitement, but a little stability isn't so bad either. Of all people, I had to pick the most arrogant and oblivious one. Am I stupid, or what?"

"And you think it would make me happy to be associated with the one they're starting to call Shuusaku's Successor?"

"What is it they call you in your country? The Prince of Baduk?"

Suyon really has been running his mouth off behind Yongha's back, and probably sending Shindou magazine articles besides (being interviewed by non-go publications can get rather tedious, especially when they ask the same questions over and over again such as wanting to know what his favourite colour is, his favourite song and what qualities he looks for in a woman).

It's not only that. Shindou is different. Yongha isn't used to him being this assertive. It can't just be the end result of Suyon's blabbing.

"You've changed," Yongha remarks.

"I get that a lot," Shindou replies wryly. "Turn off the light will you? I'm going to sleep."

~~

It's morning when Yongha wakes to a persistent knocking at the door. He nearly moves to get out of bed and answer whoever is standing outside when he recalls that this isn't his room. He's tangled in the sheets and Shindou's arms, but the knocking stops before he can do or say anything.

"Shindou, are you up?" a voice asks. Yongha doesn't recognise it. He also can't decipher the disgruntled muttering that follows, but then the voice starts speaking clearly again. "Kurata-san is calling for you. Are you awake?" There's another knock, some more muttering, and then the door handle turns. "Shindou, I'm coming in."

The third member of Team Japan peers into the room, the boy with the glasses, and his face turns as red as his hair when he sees that Shindou isn't alone.

"Ochi, is that you?" Shindou says groggily, stirring at long last to lift his head off Yongha's chest. "What is it?"

"Kurata-san wants to see you," the redhead stammers, and Shindou gives a bleary wave in his direction.

"Tell him I'll be there in a minute."

The redhead nods shakily and slams the door, leaving Yongha to raise an eyebrow.

"You should have locked it," he says.

"I was busy," says Shindou. "Or have you forgotten? Poor Ochi. I hope he hasn't gone to lock himself inside another bathroom."

Yongha isn't quite sure how to respond to that but Shindou is already rolling out of bed and grabbing his robe from where it's been draped over the chair by the bed, slipping into it before finding a spare piece of paper to write something down on.

"My address and phone number," he explains. "You're going to be in the country again eventually, right? It'll save on hotel costs."

"What horrible handwriting," says Yongha. "To think they call you a Shuusaku calligraphy authenticator when your own efforts are this poor."

"It makes my signature harder to forge," Shindou counters. "Shouldn't you be leaving? It's getting late."

Even so, he lets Yongha pull him back down onto the bed for a kiss that's nowhere near as chaste as the last one they shared before they said goodbye.

 

End.


End file.
